Brazilian Inmates Able to Write Book Reports to Shorten Prison Sentences

Inmates in a number of Brazilian prisons will now be able to shorten their sentences by improving their minds.

Four federal prisons in Brazil are now offering inmates the opportunity to shorten their sentences by as many as 48 days per year by reading books and writing reports.

Officials say the inmates will be allowed to put four books and reports towards sentence shortening each week. The reports cannot just be slopped together and handing in, however. Each book report must “make correct use of paragraphs, be free of corrections, use margins and legible joined-in writing.”

Eligibility for the program, known as “Redemption Through Reading”, will be determined by a special panel.

Inmates will be able to choose from a selection of the classics as well as books of literature, science, and philosophy.